"Monty Python teams up with Maxwell Smart for a wrestling match with Tolkien—splendid. (Fantasy. 10-16)"
Spy thrills meet fantasy rivalries as an elitist elf and a bookish goblin strike up a cross-cultural kerfuffle in Anderson and Yelchin's collaborative meditation on prejudice.
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"A celebration of the heights of imagination as the eponymous spring hare lives up (and up and up) to its name. (Picture book. 2-5)"
A bright-eyed, tawny hare joins a red-haired, fair-skinned child on a high-flying adventure in Yelchin's first wordless picture book.
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"Less stylish than Ed Young's classic Seven Blind Mice but a serviceable rendition nonetheless. (Picture book/folk tale. 6-8)"
An Iranian-American author recasts an anecdote from the Persian poet Rumi, itself based on a far older tale about perceiving parts of a truth rather than its whole.
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"A winning choice for reading aloud in storytimes and a fine gift for a family with a new baby, with or without a dog. (Picture book. 3-8) "
A black Labrador retriever is the only family member who can soothe a crying baby in this humorous, cumulative story that cries out to be read aloud with plenty of sound effects.
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"An uplifting, believable ending makes this companion lighter—but no less affecting—than its laurelled predecessor. (Historical fiction. 9-12)"
Two survivors of Stalinist oppression attempt to form a family in this companion (not sequel) to the 2012 Newbery Honor-winning Breaking Stalin's Nose.
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"A story just as relevant in our world, 'where innocent people face persecution and death for making a choice about what they believe to be right,' as that of Yelchin's childhood. (author's note) (Historical fiction. 9-12)"
"There's no place for the likes of you in our class," Sasha Zaichik's teacher tells him, and that seems to be the motto of the whole Stalinist nation.
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Dogs of diverse descriptions are coerced by their owners into participating in a costume parade in this less-than-engaging story that tries too hard to be funny.
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Mama Bird faces quite a challenge feeding her voracious new brood. Early one morning, the speckled eggs crack, and a moment later seven adorable yellow baby birds are crying for nourishment. Mama flies frenziedly all over town to find, in turn, a cricket, a cherry, a crust of bread, a pea pod, a minnow, a bird seed and, finally, an earthworm. With full stomachs, the seven babies drift off to sleep, and exhausted Mama sees her opportunity for a nap as well. But just as her eyelids are falling comes a chorus of "Peeps!" Fleming's minimal text is perfectly pitched to a very young audience; words dance all around the pages, and many (like the refrain of "flappa-flap, swoop-swoop") are tailor-made for joyous repeating aloud. Yelchin's gouache illustrations are similarly playful, depicting as they do a nest full of contented and/or screaming chicks, wee beaks agape, in nice count-up/count-down juxtaposition and an increasingly frazzled Mama. This one peeps loud: "Read it again!" (Picture book. 2-5)Read full book review >
A little boy learns why snowmen always melt in this out-of-control surreal adventure. From a promising opening—"Owen knew that at the heart of a snowman is a perfect snowball. To make a perfect snowball, you need the powdery kind of snow that's a bit melty"—the text spirals into a dream-trip to a snowman factory to which Owen is kidnapped. There he sees a series of animals unmaking his snowman under the direction of an unseen totalitarian voice that booms from a loudspeaker. Owen, they think, has the secret to making a perfect snowman, but when they realize it's because the perfect snowball he contributes as its heart melts it from the inside, they give up. Yelchin's visuals are interesting, if occasionally disorienting, but they cannot save this story from melting as thoroughly as any snowman. (Picture book. 5-8)Read full book review >
Stylish, sophisticated illustrations appropriately accompany this faux-folktale that purports to explain why ants don't wear shoes. When ants wore shoes, they required three pairs to fit their six feet, and required several sets for various occasions. When they attended parties, for example, they left their outdoor shoes at the door and switched to their dancing shoes. Making and repairing all those shoes kept the local cobbler very busy and made him "very rich." When he takes a vacation and then stays away enjoying his retirement, however, shoes begin to wear out, causing great distress. Finally, one young fashionista boldly dances barefoot. The other ants, shocked at first, follow suit, and immediately feel lighter, more relaxed and nimble, finding that "barefoot, they could dance with perfect grace." The droll images feature expressive faces above haute-couture-clad thoraxes; Yelchin's ants pose against clean white space, shifting perspectives and placement adding to the fun. Math exercises, as well as some conclusions about human nature, can be extrapolated from this wry tale. (Picture book. 4-8)Read full book review >
Kanga searches for the culprit behind her missing cookie dough in this easy-to-read rhyming book. As in the popular children's chant, "Who took the cookie from the cookie jar?" Kanga searches through her neighborhood, asking various animals, from Lion to Zebra to Cheetah, until she discovers what happened to her cookie dough. The refrain, "Do you know / Who ate all the cookie dough?" repeats, building tension and interest, inviting the readers to solve the mystery themselves. Exaggerated, expressive watercolors draw the reader to the eyes of the various animals who end up congregating on the edge of the left-hand page as Kanga pursues her investigatioin. The ample white space, peppered with gentle background graphic elements and a clear typeface, couples with the child-sized mystery to make this a good offering for new readers looking for books to read independently. Even though the lift-the-flap surprise ending will no longer be one upon subsequent readings, the amusing illustrations of popular animals and the jaunty rhythm and rhyme will make this a favorite. (Picture book. 3-7)Read full book review >
Well, it might not be a million, but Hodgman's barnyard of birds, rodents, insects, mammals, reptiles and amphibians includes the ordinary and the exotic. Hodgman had pets as a child, but now she can have anything she wants. An adult telling the truth about animals—including funny, sad and words of wisdom—she'll bring hope to children who have either wanted one pet, had a pet die, wanted more pets, or wanted an animal from the wild. Chapter headings of "Poop," "Lost! (and usually found)," "Aliens in the house," "Snappingy" and information boxes of "The Worst Things My Dogs Have Eaten" and "How to Cut a Rabbit's Nails in 13 Impossible Steps" are sure to please readers. Yelchin provides absolutely charming illustrations. Hodgman may not have had a dragon like Hagrid, but her tales are equally engaging, truthful and funny to readers of all ages. She's a James Herriot for the 21st century. (Fiction. 9 & up)Read full book review >
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